Reviews by zachariaIPA:

A very nice dark rye ale. Amber, deep red in color. A thin layer of white head that dissipates fairly quickly.

A sweet smell that bites you with peppercorn and spices right at the end, almost like cinnamon.

Lots of peppercorn in the aftertaste. It's not a burn, it's a tickle. It's hot. I'm feeling the heat. When you exhale you can feel it, like hot wings! Would also go quite well with a Montreal smoked meat sandwich. It's a steaky beer that would be excellent for all kinds of food pairing.

More User Reviews:

Iam starting to see a few of these peppercorn and or chile beers more around.This poured into a large tumbler a clear dark rust color with a large blooming almond colored head that left a smattering of lace behind as it settled slowly,the pepper is more faint in the aroma its mostly dominated by vanilla caramel,and biscuit with a tinge of hard water as well.Flavors up front are somewhat sweet with caramel and sweet biscuit mainly the peppercorns are more of a back of the throat hit and a late burn.Its pretty good but I think the peppercorns can be a bit much after drinking awhile, still something different. (614 characters)

A spiced offering from the great brewers of Dieu Du Ciel. This particular beer poured a very light brown and had a small white head. The nose, although subtle, was obviously spicey but nothing really stood out.

The mouthfeel was very smooth. Tastes of black pepper and paprika automatically jumped out at me. So much so that i was suprised and couldn't wait to take another sip. Yup, pepper and paprika alright!

The spiciness didn't fade either but it moved toward the back of the throat where i detected a touch of heat that i could only attribute to cayanne pepper.

LOOK (3.5/5) Pours a copper/gold color, which looked to be about 15*SRM, with some nice auburn tones. It's hazy and not truly opaque. The head creamy and off-white; it raised to about a single finger, but it sticks around for a good while.

SMELL (4/5) The beer is surprisingly delicate for a brew spiced with black pepper. The main players are the spicing and the rye, obviously. The rye has some nice rye tartness and a hint of fruitiness (apricots or dates). The pepper comes through at the end and balances well with these other flavors. No real hopping to speak of.

FLAVOUR (4/5) Has the same balance as the nose - some frutier malts come with the rye tartness and play off each other well. The rye, though, is a bit weaker on the palate than on the nose. I'd have liked a bit more rye. The finish was filled with pepper spiciness and this was really nice. No real hop flavor and light bitterness.

FEEL (4/5) Both carbonation and body were in the medium range. The rye makes for a bit of gummy feel. The lasting spiciness is really interesting and very unique. I liked it a lot.

DRINK (3/5) This is pretty poor, despite the great flavors. The pepper, though really tasty, has a tendency to build to become pretty spicy. The real problem, however, was that I felt that entirely too much in my belly. (1,327 characters)

Nice to see more of these in the states! Pours into my glass a deep amber brown with hints of red as well. A creamy two finger off white head sits on top and doesn't falter. Aromas start with some toasted spicy grain and caramel. Every second sniff I get a good dose of crushed peppercorns. Somewhat fruity throughout as well. Quite interesting. Mellow cocoa underneath.

First sip brings toasted rye grain upfront that mixes in with a medley of fruit flavors. Notes of caramel and cocoa as well. The pepper comes in strong midway through with a strong spicy/hot kick. Vibrant crushed black peppercorns that leave a tingling spiciness on the back of the throat after each sip. Slightly bready. Not much bitterness here and pretty smooth. A really good pepper beer!

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good steady carbonation that makes it almost seem creamy. I'm enjoying taking my time with this one and all of the flavors it contains. Overall, I couldn't drink too much in a sitting, maybe one more, but I really enjoy pepper beers and this one is a great example. I hope I can get more of this again sometime!! (1,112 characters)

This is a murky brown beer. For a rye brew, it's really dark. I half expected this to be a chile or fruit/vegetable style beer, but I guess peppercorns are more rye than that? The head is thin but solid, and what's there at the pour remains as it sits. Big bubbles and impressive lacing make it look stronger than the 5% indicated on the bottle.

The nose leaves little doubt that this is indeed a rye beer. It's reminiscent of rye toast. Are peppercorns what make rye toast rye? Admittedly more familiar with black and white, this beverage smells a lot like green peppercorns. I wanted that DFH BA Select beer (w/ maple syrup and green peppercorns) to be called Peppergreen Forest, and that name fits here as well. It's very malty and more like candy residue (think lollipop laid down) and licorice than chocolate or caramel.

It tastes like a marzen or scotch-style ale with its malted barley predominance. The zing of its feel, however, is more like a barleywine. This beer looks, smells, tastes, and feels much stronger than it actually is. The feel is thick and chewy enough to think you're biting deer jerky. The peppercorns offer a neat sizzling sensation. The whole mouth experience with this liquid is an interwoven combo whose parts still retain identity. It tastes sweet strong and feels spicy, but its real punch (ABV) fails to justify its effect. In that regard, it's like a worst-case scenario: sizzling sweet sensations without an ability to make meaningful impact. It's like Viagra not working. Though your might respect the effot, it's not compelling enough for frequent revisiting. (1,601 characters)

The beer pours an amber color with a white head. The aroma is black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. A very spicy, inviting smelling beer. The flavor is heavy on the white pepper. I get a little bit of heat from the pepper - which mainly shows up in the aftertastes - but what really stands out is the great pepper flavor that is the beer has. I also get some caramel malt and some other spices. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. (432 characters)

Picked up at the Uptown Waterloo LCBO as part of their recent DDC release set. (Why wasn't Peche part of the mix? Grrr...)

Poured into a Duvel chalice because, not knowing what kind of glassware best accentuates a peppercorn beer, I stuck with my default. A rust-copper brew, chestnut when out of the light. Not much head, just some patchy streaks of lace and a few islands of foam. Not the most attractive beer, kind of looks like a limp dubbel.

The nose is caramel malts, with only the finest hint of nutmeg, cinnamon and peppercorn to be had. Remarkably deceptive.

The peppercorn taste is not entirely unlike a ninja. You don't even know it's there at first, with the less potent notes of malt, caramel and fruit providing a distraction, until POW! It hits you with a shuriken in the darkness, knocking you over! The finish is an unmistakable peppery explosion, which to me is comprised not so much of 'peppercorns', but rather 'table pepper.' The finish is incredibly bitter, spicy, lingering, and provides my esophagus with a thorough wakeup call. There might be other spices in here, but pepper really steals the show. I can't say I'm really enjoying it, but neither can I say I'm not fascinated with it.

One of the more intriguing beer experiences I've ever had. Credit to DDC for making a brew that challenges my beer perceptions by giving me something totally new. Is it a beer I'm likely to get again? Probably not; in fact, I doubt I could finish more than one bottle. Still, kudos to the brewmaster for making such a unique product.

Started drinking out of the bottle, due to a lack of glassware. The flavor is nice - round and full, sweet and with a nice rye taste. The pepper is present but not overwhelming, and as always sticks in the finish. There is a nice smokiness too, connecting the malt and the pepper. Then I poured it and - wow - what an aroma! The pepper is present but again not overpowering. The appearance is a bit disappointing - highly opaque, although the color is great.

I'm ashamed I've never sampled a beer from this brewery before! (524 characters)

Pours dark brown with a thick, creamy off-white head with good retention. Good rings of lacing. Nose and taste live up to the label. Pungent rye aroma with a liberal helping of cracked pepper. As in a LOT of cracked pepper. Flattish mouthfeel with low carbonation and a long spicy finish. Taste really pops. Bitter rye and hops up front, very tangy. The black peppercorns then take over. Spicy, hot, and quite strong. Problem was after a while, it was just too much. The pepper made me kind of queasy as it built up. I can't see drinking more than one of these, and kind of hoped I had a partner to finish the last 1/3 of my 12 oz. bottle. (639 characters)

Appearance - beer pours as a nice dark brown beer with a brown/white head. The head is about an inch and nice and foamy. Hard to tell the carbonation levels due to the colour of the beer. Some nice lacing occurring.

Smell - Rye is a leader in the smell of the beer with hints of coffee. I would say a slight hint of caramel and other spices too.

Taste - I found this beer to be very smooth upfront with a little bitterness on the end. I would say like the taste, the rye plays a strong role in the taste of this beer. I did not notice the caramel as much in the tasting.

Mouthfeel - Some added carbonation adds the the bitterness level of the beer. The strong rye presents comes fwd even more during the mouthfeel. I felt the aftertaste lingers a lot more as well, even leaves the throat feeling a little warm!

Drinkability - Not a beer i would go out and buy again but happy i tried. Very well made and has a solid tasting base. (971 characters)

Poured from 11.5oz bottle into standard pint glass (really need some nice glass wear) . Standard pour yielded one finger head with decent lacing . Head diminishes to a thin frothy top. Beer is a nice earthy top soil brown. Complex malt characteristics and pepper are evident in the nose immediately. Taste is initially all malt with virtually no hop character. Very finely carbonated. Pepper corns really come out, and bite the back of your mouth and throat. This doesn't diminish from the beer but rather adds to its unique character. Beer finishes dry with a slight malty sweetness . Over all this is a very unique beer and is probably best consumed in colder months as the pepper corns used in breweng provide a nice warming effect. (735 characters)

Low orangey wispy head despite a vigorous pour. Opaque orangey red colored. Rich aroma of ripe fruit and dark bread. Flavor of ripe apricot and plum, bready malt, semi-sweet, no hop flavors. A peppery bite slowly builds, subtle but noticeable, just the right amount. Starts in the back of the throat, slowly moves up to the back of the tongue and rolls down to the tip, keeping the mouth warm despite the low ABV. Low carbonation, semi slick, but the heat adds to the mouthfeel. Interesting beer, worth a try, but not a quaffer. (528 characters)

Another darker amber beer. Was impressed the aroma of rye and maybe peppercorns. Unique.

An interesting hodgepodge of flavors, none of them other than the rye/pepper flavor is anything more than a fraction of the flavor profile, chocolate, coffee, toffee. Can't really tell to what degree the hops are involved, the pepper confuses my tongue.

Doesn't really weigh heavy, pepper and carbonation probably help with that. I hear its expensive, had it at the SD fest, so I dunno if I'd try it again, just depends on the asking price. Was happy to have checked it out this time though. (584 characters)

A- This beer is crystal clear with a slightly dense deep auburn colored body and a thick creamy head of light beige that sticks to the glass and is supported by big bubbles of carbonation.

S- The smell of caramel and dry toast have a faint earthy hint when they warm a bit.

T- The taste of dry malt with a biscuit malt and dry toast hint give way to a chocolate malt hint. There is also some coffee malt notes that come through the chocolate malt as the beer warms. The finish is a big spicy herbal green peppercorn note that lingers on the lips as a burning sensation.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a peppercorn heat that burns the lips softly after each sip, but no alcohol heat.

D- The subtle depth of the malt is a bit overpowered by the peppercorn heat, and I could actually feel myself exhale peppercorn breath. This was interesting and not really offensive but it needed some support. I think this would be a great beer to match with a big juicy steak. (1,002 characters)

Appearance- Poured into a long-stemmed wine glass, I'm greeted by a 1 1/2 finger head that lingers for awhile and leaves decent lacing on the way down. The beer's color looks like a watered down mash up of red, burgundy, and brown.

Smell- Pretty much nothing but pepper. I thought that I could smell some malt sweetness for a second, but no, just pepper.

Taste- Surprisingly, this beer starts out with sweet caramel, doughy, malty amber/red ale flavors. Those flavors do not stay around once the peppercorn comes into play. Wow...they really brought the pepper. This is not a half-assed spiced beer, or a rye beer with nuances of pepper. The pepper flavors take over your mouth and every time I take a sip I'm amazed at how peppery it is. After getting half way through my glass, I decided to pair it with some shaved turkey deli meat and aged Irish sharp cheddar. The sharp cheddar is pretty intense, but the pepper in the beer is still able to get through it and make it's presence felt.

MF- The body is nice and full, and the carbonation is low-medium. This would be a very high score if not for the way the pepper lingers and wears on the tongue, and burns the throat. Food definitely helped fix this, but not quite enough and I don't like feeling like I HAVE to have food with my beer.

Drinkability- I could drink a couple of these with a nice meat and cheese platter, but by itself it's just too much. I appreciate what they are trying to do, and would recommend this to anyone who likes intense/unique beers. A very good beer to have with certain foods, and I bet it'd be great to cook with. (1,604 characters)